


Build-a-boyfriend

by Obitchurary



Category: Re-Animator (Movies)
Genre: Angst?, Bride AU, I’m not sure if I’m going to continue this, M/M, Vent?, West is a possessive creep, as he is always, canon typical gore, dan is dead, dan is sensitive, for now, frankenhimbo, only time will tell
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:27:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24366535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Obitchurary/pseuds/Obitchurary
Summary: There was a lack of memory of the night prior, the pandemonium of events triggering the downward spiral that ended in tragedy. Though it was hard to blame himself when he was incapacitated an odd sense of guilt washed over him, if it had been anyone else in Dan’s place it would be a simple causality in the name of science. However, stirring from his state of unconsciousness to find the tattered and brutalized remains of his roommate, he managed to stir a concoction of emotions that were alien to West.
Relationships: Daniel Cain/Herbert West
Comments: 4
Kudos: 40





	1. Chapter 1

To Doctor Herbert West the concept of love or even human intimacy had always struck him as asinine, foolish and a display of weakness. There was never a minute or second of sympathy for human life, only a morbid fascination with defying the boundaries and limitations of it. However exceptions were made for almost every rule, even without the intentional disobedience towards them. Despite his stubbornness, the concept of love, at least definitively, was akin to the infatuation he garnered towards his roommate. 

It wasn’t quite a concept that had passed through West’s mind until he found himself kneeled beside his own makeshift operating table, twirling and twisting his fingers through elegant curls of recently deceased brunette. The dorement and dismantled body lay still, like a mistreated jigsaw puzzle with lost and mangled parts. In a display of postmortem artistry, the remains of Daniel Cain lay elegantly sprawled across the supporting metal. Atop the mangled masterpiece of a man was a garnish of thin sheer fabric, a tattered curtain of chiffon. 

There was a lack of memory of the night prior, the pandemonium of events triggering the downward spiral that ended in tragedy. Though it was hard to blame himself when he was incapacitated an odd sense of guilt washed over him, if it had been anyone else in Dan’s place it would be a simple causality in the name of science. However, stirring from his state of unconsciousness to find the tattered and brutalized remains of his roommate, he managed to stir a concoction of emotions that were alien to West. 

Dan was quite literally in pieces, a gaping socket, trickling with ruby in place of his left arm. A number of obvious dislocations and blatantly broken bones were the icing atop the fleshy cake. Death was far from a concept the scientist was unable to grasp, it was not something he feared, he had come close to meeting his own fate a multitude of times. But the instant the life of Dan Cain was endangered it had become second nature to pounce and protect. 

Herbert was almost cautious in the manner he crawled over to his departed partner. Everything about his manner had become fragile, though most bodies in the care of Dr. West were treated with negligence at best, there was no impulse in the way he cared for Dan. Each movement was calculated, almost respectful in nature as the head of the damsel in decease was laid against the slack-clad thighs of his dysfunctional roommate. Almost in a state of stupefaction, the only living being in the desolate basement tangled his fingers into the bundles of hair beneath him. 

West pulled the corpse’s head to rest atop his chest, sweeping back his hair with a faint whisper.  
“You’re going to be alright, Dan.” The dismayed doctor promised.

Now Herbert West hardly made promises, but in this circumstance he was bound to his word. Now lying was natural to West, he could snake his way around any situation and avoid repercussions like a spoiled child. But Dan? He could never lie to Dan, perhaps persuade him but there was no harm. Matter of fact Herbert would go as far as to proclaim he was protecting Dan, teaching him and guiding him to rely more on his mind then his heart and sexuality.

But back to his promise, he would make sure if it cost him every inch of pride and achievement that Daniel Cain was back in one piece. Now, if those pieces were his own could be varied, but regardless Dan would be whole again. The little project of building a woman with the core of Megan’s heart would be scrapped. It wasn’t as if he had any interest in her, herself as much as he had in bribing Dan to stay with him. The parts he had garnered and hoarded would now go to far better use.

Now, it would require careful planning to make the sum of his, and granted other’s parts, functional and proportional especially alone. Not to mention the possibility of his experiment backfiring, if the parts did not fully function together there was no way Dan could make a full recovery from his breaks and fractures.

Observing each cut, laceration, gash, and dislocation, West began to do what he did best, experiment, adapt, and give life. With the breaks and destruction of his departed darling, it be risky not to replace his left leg entirely. Simple enough, far from a big deal, West had done a fair share of operations involving amputation, regardless of their professionalism or lack thereof. A simple procedure.

A simple procedure if it hadn’t been for the unstable, restless twitching of which ever hand attempted to hold any tool. The concept of harming Dr. Cain in anyway shape or form, even if there was no possibility of his current project feeling it; was suddenly a concept that struck a deep seeded, nearly crippling fear in the pit of his stomach. Shuddering like raggedy blinds above an air vent, the usually confident Dr. West stumbled back from his ‘work’, muttering to himself in an act of chastising his own actions.

“You’ll be alright.” Herbert assured himself more so than he did Dan, sweeping around to the other side, allowing a hand to trail through the dead darling’s hair. Allowing himself a closer look as the situation at hand, the pint-sized scientist pressed a delicate peck to Dan’s temple. After allowing himself to take in one last glance at the remains of what was once his partner in crime. Returning to his position at the end of the table and lifting his saw once again. 

Noticing a steady flow of blood confirmed to West that his dear Dan hadn’t been long deceased. Despite his confidence in reviving his late roommate, Herbert felt another wave of nervous shudders at the pooling blood atop the autopsy table. Mirroring the slowly expanding trickle of scarlet, sweat began its descent down the forehead of the disoriented doctor.

Lapping his lips in an act of nervousness, West wiped his forehead, flicking the sweat off the back of his hand before returning to his project. Once again muttering some reassurance to himself as he made haste to clean up the mess he had so disgracefully made. Carefully making the next amputation, Herbert continued to clean the reoccurring dripping of sweat from his forehead. Taking a moment to step back, take in and assess his situation, the doctor felt a strange unease. A pooling of heat and discomfort in his face, weighing down near his eyes and fluttering around his cheeks. 

As the pressure grew increasingly unbearable, dragging its vicious aching up to West’s head to a point where it was akin to throbbing, beating, pounding. The urge to release the strange concoction of physical agony and emotional conflict was nearly unbearable. The heat continued to pool until it began to fog up his glasses. It felt impossible to express the dreadful experience through any action or even combination of words. Yet relief came soon enough, another trickling stream graced the now burning face of Herbert West, yet it wasn’t sweat, or perhaps a phenomenon of rainfall indoors, the liquid appeared to have sourced from his eyes. 

A pale, calloused hand came to discard the bizarre, alien expression. Now, the palette of human emotion and expression wasn’t beyond his knowledge, West was thoroughly aware he was experiencing sorrow. However, why was something that absolutely baffled him, he was certain he could bring life, fix the mess he’d found himself in. Matter of factly, he’d often witness Dan downright sobbing from time to time, of course not for reasons he could understand. Yet suddenly the entire concept of expression felt oddly comforting as it was conflicting. In a sudden, strange urge for comfort, Herbert wrapped his own arms around himself.

After catching his breath, shaking away his sorrow, West did what he did best, work.  
“Alright, Dan. Let’s fix you.”

Looking through the assortment of parts, obtained through morally ambiguous means, West obtained two identical and functional lower limbs. A procedure that would have been a mere morbid experiment, was a nerve wracking test of West’s skill and faith in himself. Though fully aware he was in fact on par with God, Dan was not a simple creation meant to test the bounds of human consciousness and death, Dan was special. 

Dan had always been special, therefore deserved special treatment and a lack of negligence or risk taking. Constantly reminding himself to be delicate, ginger. Dan was like a fragile, genuine masterpiece, and West would restore him.

The task was tedious, the deep seeded fear of causing the only (once) living thing he valued to be in a permanent state of disrepair seldom helped.  
Pieces and parts were laced and patched together by any means possible, stitched, stapled and occasionally stabbed through. 

Despite his overarching terror of losing Dan forever, a safe haven was found in the occasional kiss which was ever so graciously gifted to the late doctor’s temple. West was confident in his typical fashion by the time he’d gifted himself the tenth peck upon Dan’s head. The scientist took a different solace in threading his hands through the bundles of unkempt curls atop Cain’s head each time he took a moment to gauge his work. The actions could not truly be considered intimate, Dan’s lack of consciousness and overall sentience prevented such. Yet it was morbidly, if not poetically romantic regardless.

“You truly are gorgeous, Dan. Granted my gifted mind has made a few improvements, you are naturally lovely. The blueprint for what man should be but lacks the intellect and strength to be. If it weren’t for your habit of falling victim to lust, I’d consider you on par with myself.” West mused, taking the liberty of an ever so light kiss at the very corner of his personalized assistant’s lips. Despite how cold the body beneath him happened to be, the doctor felt his cheeks warm as he slowly pulled away from his affectionate act.

After hours, perhaps days, maybe even a week,time was the last moral dilemma on the scientist’s mind; West’s project was complete, in the sense of connecting the mangled parts. The time had come to put the entire essence of his years of work, research and experiment to the test. All that was left was the injection. Directly into the heart, a simple and easy task that could have been done with a blindfold over West’s eyes if the heart had belonged to anyone else.

Yet the doctor found himself shivering, trembling with his hair unkempt and his shirt hardly buttoned. The wrinkles and creases from his attire reflected those sewn into the bags under his eyes. Letting out a feeble exhale, west slumped against the cool brick wall.

“Damn me, Dan. I’ve gotten myself far too attached for my own good much less your own.” West began to fiddle with his fingers, brushing his thumbs together nervously, the friction garnering a thin veil of heat between the digits. Pushing his spectacles to rise ever so slightly higher upon the bridge of his nose, Herbert took a deep breath. He had stalled long enough, foolishly allowing his specimen to lose its freshness. 

Once West had completed his process of silent and somber mourning, he made his way around the cool metal slab, pressing one hand to the dormant chest of his former assistant. Gingerly, if not indulgently, his fingers grazed over the firm muscle, feeling around for a proper angle of insertion. Drawing the revamped reagent from its vial, the doctor positioned himself, taking a moment to procrastinate before urging himself to continue with a whispered curse. 

Once the injection had concluded, shaky hands and all, West stepped back. The doctor’s sweaty palms clasping against his stopwatch, regardless of his infatuation with Cain, every experiment had to be documented. 

There lacked any instant motion, of course it was to be expected, the parts were not one in the same despite being parts of the whole. However the lingering possibility of failure hung over the room like a thick fog on a dimly lit street in an unfamiliar neighborhood. Once again the frail figure began to pace, his back hunched under the pressure he was carrying on his shoulder. The pit of West’s stomach had plummeted, adding more strain to his posture.

With a nervous glance at the watch, all hope began to dissipate. Thirty minutes flat, the seconds still ticking without a single twitch of movement. Herbert felt his face flush once again, the warmth stinging at his eyes. This time he allowed himself to weep, removing his glasses before they became clouded with his misery. West rested one hand against the metal table, his free hand resting at the bridge of his nose as he hung his head in an admittance of defeat. For once it wasn’t just an error he could correct in his next experimental escapade, he’d failed. West had fumbled with his only chance and he could not rebound.

As the doctor’s head began to pound from the relentless emotional torment he had inflicted upon himself, another noise joined into the symphony of sorrow. A slight shift, ruffling the sheer fabric against the redesigned assistant chimed in. As the creature stirred, sitting up right,it took in its surroundings before taking in itself. 

Before Dan could finish his analysis of his own figure he was affectionately ambushed as a pair of trembling arms wrapped around him from the side. The crook of his neck was invaded by the flustered face of his savior.

Despite his utter joy West had yet to stop crying, matter of fact he’d begun to sob, clinging to the other’s reanimated flesh for dear life. His tears coating the collarbone of his beloved. 

Before Cain could even comprehend his situation once more a practical squeal of happiness spewed from the scientist’s trembling and bite-worn lips.  
“Dan!”


	2. Sense and sensitivity

As if instinctually, if not subconsciously, Cain’s arms came to wrap around his savior. One arm rested firmly upon West’s lower back as the other caressed the smaller figure’s nape. Dan remained silent as if mourning his own passing in the same manner the weeping doctor had. As his fingers intertwined themselves in the restless, unruly tangles of black, Cain smiled. 

The embrace lingered, the warmth of each singular being melting into a collective temperature. The two simply relaxed in the solace of each other, breathing the same air. There was suddenly something so oddly alluring about the disheveled scientist standing before him.

West had pressed one knee upon the same table Dan had been repaired on, one foot remaining stationary on the ground. Both of his hands gripped the edge of the metal bed, as his eyes lay locked upon his creation.  
The surrounding atmosphere had become nearly intoxicating for Cain.

The redesigned doctor felt as if his heart itself was enhanced, heavy and pounding in his chest as he shifted closer to West. Dan slid one hand up to caress his savior's cheek, his thumb gently stroking the line of Herbert’s jaw. A thin veil of heat flooding to the reborn man’s face as he began to lean in ever so slightly closer.

Dan continued his slight, simple, and sweet advances, parting his lips as if to whisper until his eyes widened. Once Cain’s eyes settled upon his own, no, another person’s hand, his heart sunk. Strands of stray flesh were intertwined with stitches and staples, bear flesh visible where the joints connected. 

The realization had hit the doctor so harshly he was left breathless, flinching vigorously. Dan hesitantly raised his shuddering hands into his field of vision, scanning each intimate detail of stolen flesh. The medical gauze beginning to flutter and fumble against his trembling body, Dan buried his face into his faux hands.

A slew of hiccups whimpers came out in muffled waves from behind the barrier of flesh. The very brief and futile attempt to keep himself from tears ended as the realization overwhelmed him once again. He’d died. Dan had been killed and it was flooding back to him in vivid, gruesome detail.

It was that damned cop, or more so West’s damn impulsive habits of destroying life he didn’t see fit. Dan remembered their altercation, his unbridled rage in the moment causing him to display his own act of violence. His calloused hands gripping into the light blue fabric with a force almost capable of tearing the fabric apart. 

Cain had found himself beyond fed up with being given second hand shunned from his peers for simply indulging West in his macabre experiments. The mere act of staying in a relationship, one that was conflicting as it was detrimental, with West had destroyed any chance he had at being respected in the field of medicine.

Though there was a part of him that desired approval from his chaotic companion more than anything. Perhaps it was the void left in his heart since the passing of his beloved, maybe it was the fact West had ruined any chance he had finding approval from other people. But deep down he was subconsciously aware he’d garnered an unhealthy dependency on his roommate. Though he knew Herbert never had his best interest at heart, even when he did it ended in catastrophe, Dan felt almost honored to be the only human being not viewed as an experiment.

West had been fond of Cain seemingly the minute he moved in. Even Dan had become aware of the underlying reliance his roommate had on him, and though he’d seldom admit it, he reciprocated that dependency.

Yet there were moments in which all desire to please or bond with West faded like the sun at dusk. This was one of those times. It was as if Herbert wanted to be thrown into the slammer and left to rot with people who were a different brand of sick. The kind of sick west was, wasn't the type to blend seamlessly in with simple minded murders and thieves. 

Though Cain despised thinking negatively about the corrupted and clearly complex inner workings of West’s mind, he found it rather bigoted if not insensitive, his companion was ill. Not in the way Dan was treated to medicate, no matter how much he wanted to be the cure. There was simply no way to read or quite comprehend the things the man would do at times. His mannerisms were ones he’d never fully pin down despite his intense study of the doctor.

Cain believed he’d begun to take after them nonetheless. It wasn’t until the trembling body beneath him offered an explanation if not a plea. Explaining the fact his poor, sweet and ever so innocent self had been attacked unprovoked and had simply done what was required to protect himself, Dan relented.

Dan found himself giving in to the innocent demented little puppy-dog act more often than not, and he hated himself for it. Herbert’s almost omnipresent control over the way he felt and his actions was almost akin to romance in a morbid sense. 

Releasing the fabric clenched between his knuckles, the formly enraged doctor took a step back, hissing under his breath for how damn foolish his companion was. West continued to defend himself, insisting this was the optimal time to put his work to the test. Once again coxing Dan with the promise of it being for the revival and safety of his dear meg.

Of course disaster ensued as per usual. The undead became violent, aggressive and untamed. However the inspector had possessed cognitive thought, meaning West’s hypothesis had been astonishingly correct.

In his all too typical, narcissistic and prideful fashion, Herbert celebrated his triumph by proclaiming his success with unadulterated glee. 

However the tone soon shifted as the frail scientist was flung by his revived victim. West had found himself unconscious the mere second his head (which was inflated from his ego) met brick. Leaving Dan deserted and forcing his hand. There was no one to protect him safe for himself and the gun he’d been so graciously gifted just moments prior. 

Everything past that was a blur, but Dan was certain he was overpowered. He was certain he had died. 

All the remodeled man could muster was a harsh sob as he ripped his hands away from his face. His palms crash landed upon his thighs, tugging and kneading the gauze that rested against his legs as if it offered him any sense of security.

In the spur of the moment Cain couldn’t place a stitched on finger to what exactly was so distressing about being gifted new life. Yet he knew it was rooted from a sense of betrayal, a feeling of uselessness, disposability.

A tender caress of the cheek briefly broke the stream of sorrow, earning West a teary eyed and dismayed glance. The smoothly sinister coo Cain was all too accustomed to slipped from bastardized lips.

“Dan, this is something to celebrate. You’re a miracle of my work.” Herbert stated with the typical emphasis upon the latter two works. “You’re a gorgeous defiance of the bounds of death, created in my image as well as your own. Each new part of you has been purposely and meticulously chosen to cater to your needs.” 

West’s spare hand came to cup the other cheek, maneuvering his little miracle’s head to force eye contact.  
“You’re magnificent and I made you. Look at you, a gorgeous perseverance of former life and current beauty. You’re a masterpiece, a wonder, a gift from me to the terrible undeserving realm we live in.”

The prideful doctor took the liberty of sweeping a lock of unruly hair behind Cain’s ear, offering him a gut-wrenching smirk. The pure glee in his demeanor was almost sickening to the sputtering, sobbing mess of a monster. The dearly departed damsel ripped himself away from the tender touch, scrunching his shoulders and tilting his head away. 

“I thought I mattered to you.” Dan whispered somberly, his eyes avoiding the lingering gaze of his supposed savior. It took him a moment to elaborate as his voice caught in his throat. Another onslaught of tears trickled down Cain’s flustered face, adding a shimmering accent which highlighted his miserable display of pure beauty. 

“I knew you couldn’t be trusted to put anyone else first. Yet, I never thought I’d be one of your little experiments.” Despite its volume, the statement was firm and accusatory.  
“Though my faith in you was surely a fickle part of me, I thought you actually possessed the capability to feel. That you may have actually been capable of caring about me regardless of how selfish and possessive that care is.”

There was a first time for everything, most of those first things were experienced due to Daniel. West finding himself at a loss for words was surely a first. Yet he found the gesture of placing a hand to his hip and cocking an eyebrow more than enough to convey his pure and utter disapproval.

Moments passed without a sound besides short, pitiful sniffles. The two men had come to a brief agreement in silence, yet Herbert refused to hold his tongue. One finger curved itself under the whimpering figures chin, dragging it upwards so their eyes faced once more. A stern, relentless and purely foul grimace found itself glaring into Dan’s soul. A harsh snarl trailed out of the displeased lips.

“You will look me in the eyes before you spew garbage and cruel accusations at me with no indication of such an action on my part, Dan. I slaved away for days, perhaps even months, to save you. Not for the name of science but out of a desire to preserve the one thing of value your pitiful god has created and failed to protect. My actions were not of selfish or morbid motive.”

The displeased doctor took a step back, allowing Dan to hang his head. Offended was an understatement, it was practically agonizing that despite all his work Dan continued to push him away. However West was sick of being shut out and left in the dark about how his dear sweet partner was feeling. Cain allowed his emotions to boil over until he was a displeasure to be around. 

Yet West knew he cared, Dan cared no matter how many times he tried to leave, shouted, whined and swore.  
“Why do you pretend to despise me? You assume the worst of me, you can admit that can you not.”

Much to Herbert’s surprise he received an ever so slightly nod of compliance. This encouraged the deranged doctor to return to his close proximity with his creation. Pressing his hands to either side of his devastated darling waistline, leaning upwards until their noses were inches apart. 

“It breaks me to know you’ll never be truthful with me. Though I suppose I haven’t quite been honest with you either. Well I suppose if we're airing out our emotions, I’ll confess that I love you.”  
Though his words fumbled as he built up to his confession, it was an admission nonetheless. 

The response was not spontaneous, save for an uninvited blossoming tint of scarlet across Dan’s stunned and bewildered expression. His mouth lay ever so agape, the words felt almost surreal leaving the lips of the man he’d come to know as a stoic slate. With a nervous cough, Cain turned his head once again, sliding aback ever so slightly yet maintained his silence. 

The dreadful silence continued, ringing throughout West’s ears despite the absence of sound. He felt his heart plummet into the very pit of his stomach, anticipation practically stripping him of life with each passing moment. The doctor apologetically pulled himself back, dusting off his lab coat with a forced cough mirroring Cain’s prior actions, now flustered himself.

Attempting to further distance himself from the silent solace, West continued his departure, backing up until he felt cold brick against the heat of his body.  
Taking the liberty of a sharp, pained exhale, he placed one hand upon his chest. West allowed his eyes to flutter shut as he attempted to regain his composure.

He’d simply pretend he hadn’t spilled his metaphorical guts out for Dan to piddle with as he so figuratively pleased. Reserving himself from speech knowing all too well he’d be vulnerable once again, West simply clicked his tongue. His eyes remained shut.

Time seemed to stand still, despite the clattering noise of obvious movement, one full of struggle at that. Despite the commotion, the scientist remained dormant not even bothering to glimpse at the current happenings. Despite a few whimpers, fumbles and clear struggle, Herbert only removed his glasses, obscuring his awareness of his surroundings in an almost taunting fashion. Though he’d become aware of Dan’s rather feeble attempt at balance on his own.

After polishing his spectacles with his sleeve, West returned to his stubborn state of blissful arrogance. The spell of petty silent treatment was destroyed the instant contact was made. 

The small scientist glanced down, feeling the warmth of a strong yet gentle embrace around his hips. Dan’s new form was far taller than he had been before, it was ever so more noticeable when his face was able to be burrowed into Herbert’s chest as he kneeled. The clutch felt like a prayer, worship of sorts, a silent plea for forgiveness and mercy at the hands of a god. 

Dan’s prayers were answered, ever so graciously by his modern god. Calloused, petit hands combed through tangled tuffs of brunette, offering reassurance of his merciful blessing of exoneration. Dan simply rubbed his cheek against the soft fabric like a pleaded kitten, though his expression remained somber and tearful. Once Herbert was certain his gospel of forgiveness had enlightened his faithful follower, West tore the clingy hands of his creation away. 

Once again, silence ensued as West graced his beloved creation with his presence, kneeling to be level with him, cupping either side of his face and cooing to Cain once more.

“Perhaps I was able to reanimate your heart as well, you and I are both aware deep down, you return my compassion and interest. Perhaps not in the same fashion, but your truths are equivalent to mine. Part of you is just frightened, unable to allow yourself the relief in an act of honesty with yourself.” The scientist lectured, his thumb soothing the skin of Cain’s cheek. 

West took pride in finally having what he’d always desired from the moment he moved in, utter and complete power, possession and control over Daniel. He’d deserved this from the very start, he after all provided his dear roommate the opportunity of an afterlife-time. Access to his knowledge, his work, and even more so his admiration. Admittedly, Cain should have been kissing the ground at his feet instead of being coaxed and begged to remain with West. 

Now fully sitting, his legs crossed over one another, the self-made scientist laid Dan’s head in his lap, petting and fondling his hair once more with a soft hum. 

“You’re ever so beautiful. Especially when you don’t yell and fuss. Doesn’t it feel nice to not have to fight, to feel safe, to be mine?” Herbert practically sang out in a tone akin to an angel’s sigh. The mere activity of holding the man he’d yearned after for countless years was a pleasure beyond words. 

“You’re finally what you were always destined to be.” West purred almost sinsterly, pulling Dan into his chest, holding him close enough to feel his repaired heart pound.  
“You’re finally mine.”

**Author's Note:**

> I’m sorry if there’s any errors or a lack of updates I’m going through a bit of a hard time now but I figured making myself write again and posting could help with my slump!


End file.
